Wind my own shunt?

[hal]

I need some advise on building an current/voltage monitor for my 12v/70A 
power supply
that powers my 300w 2m amp.   I know I need a shunt arragnement to allow 
more or
less full scale on a 1ma  ammeter.  The problem is building the shunt 
resistor. I checked
the 2006 ARRL handbook and it tells me I must wind my own shunt from 
resistance wire.
McMaster-Carr is a source for nichrome wire  of various diameters 
(thanks to Sandy and Dr Bruhns) but honestly, isn't there a modern way 
to tackle this problem that does not involve
building a unique component from scratch? 

--hal wb3kdu